


Thank You

by zetuslapetus



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:35:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24460648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zetuslapetus/pseuds/zetuslapetus
Summary: Rio's side business dealings bleed into the girls' lives and Beth develops a reputation, of sorts.orBeth is kidnapped and it's all Rio's fault.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 14
Kudos: 219





	Thank You

**Author's Note:**

> I wish the show would flesh out Rio's world and introduce us to other players in the crime syndicate cause we're all over this FBI narrative, am I right or am I right? Give me Rio risking his business to save Beth, Beth risking her life to save Rio and finally accepting who she truly is!!! Please GODdd.

> _Annie_.

The Paper Porcupine had closed a week ago after suffering massive plumbing damage that’d flooded half the store. Annie considered asking Beth if she had anything to do with it but decided against it. It gives them more opportunity to print than they’d ever had before so they meet for a week straight, print daily until they deplete all of their supplies. After four days Annie has so many paper cuts littered across her hands she can barely fold her fingers. 

On Thursday Annie shows up early, huddles by the back door of the shop until Ruby arrives. 

“Where is she?” Ruby asks when she walks up.

Annie pulls out her phone and dials Beth with a roll of her eyes. When did she become the responsible Marks sister? 

“I don’t know but I’m going to pee my pants if she’s not here in two minutes,” Annie says into the mouthpiece. The line rings once before the voicemail kicks in. Annie frowns, pulls the phone down, redials. “Voicemail,” she says to Ruby once it kicks in again. “You try.”

Ruby does, once, then again. The pit Annie hadn’t noticed in her stomach grows.

They drive back to the house, try using  _ find my phone _ in the car with no luck. When they get to the house the pit in Annie’s stomach turns into a brick. The backdoor is wide open, Beth’s phone and purse still on the kitchen island. 

“I should call Stan,” Ruby offers, then pauses, “What if it’s, you know?” 

_ Him _ . 

Annie shakes her head, it doesn’t make sense. They’d gotten past  _ that _ , finally got into a groove of printing and washing. They were making real money now, he wouldn’t screw it up. Unless she’d pissed him off and Beth had a talent for that like no other.

_ Fuck it.  _

Annie pulls up his contact and dials. It rings, he doesn’t pick up but his voice mail doesn’t kick in either. She hangs up with a huff.

“What do we do?” Ruby’s pacing. Up and down the kitchen tile, it’s driving Annie crazy.

“I’m going to go see him. You stay here in case - ” Annie speaks but Ruby interrupts with a shake of her head.

“No, you’re not going alone, are you crazy.”

“I have to, Ruby. If you don’t hear from me in an hour call Stan, and then pick up the kids from school,” Annie pleads. 

Her hands are shaking, mind reeling a mile a minute. She thinks about the first time she saw Beth with a gun to her temple, that feeling of dread had felt like nothing compared to not knowing.  _ Please, please, please  _ she chants into the universe the entire drive to the bar.

They aren’t open, it’s too early, so she pounds on the door until she hears the distinct sound of a lock unlatch. The heavy door creaks open and a familiar face peeks through. It’s Mick.

“We ain’t open,” he says. He blinks a few times, and Annie can see the recognition dawn upon his face. 

“Is she here?” Annie yells, pushes at the door.

She shoves her way inside and looks around like a madwoman. It’s empty, except for Rio in the far corner by the pool table. He’s leaning on a pool stick and staring at her like she’s lost her mind.

“You lost?” He says and Annie stomps in his direction.   
  
“Where’s Beth?” She shouts, points a finger at him accusingly. “If you hurt her and you think we’re gonna keep printing for you you’ve got another thing coming, buddy. We’re going straight to the cops and we’re going to tell them  _ everything _ ,” she huffs, pauses for a moment to take a breath then continues. “And if I don’t walk out of here then Ruby’s going to the cops.”

Rio levels the pool cue on the table and steps closer. Annie’s still shaking, and the way he stalks forward lights up every fight or flight instinct in her body.

“Your sister ain’t here,” he says quietly.

A soft sob escapes her, she drops her face into her hands briefly before she looks back up at him.

“She’s not answering her phone and the back door was wide open, the car’s still in the driveway and it’s not like her to - ” she’s rambling, but she catches the look Rio gives Mick over her shoulder and she stutters. 

The two men exchange a quick glance, a wordless thought passes between them that Rio ends with a quick shake of his head.

“What?” Annie cries, looks back at Mick then to Rio. “You know something.”

Rio’s jaw clenches, he looks annoyed. Annie’s about to yell again when he raises a hand.

“Not a word, you hear me?” He says, points to Annie then fishes his phone out. He dials and brings the phone up to his ear. Next to her, Mick rolls his neck, eyes focused on Rio.

After a few moments, the person on the other line must pick up because Rio’s speaking.

“I hear you have something that belongs to me,” Rio says, omitting any greetings or pleasantries. Whoever is on the other end, he knows them. “Not only do you steal from me but now you’re forcing my hand. Not the best way to start a partnership.”

Annie hasn’t stopped shaking. He knows who has her, of course, he does.

He’s quiet then. Annie steps closer trying to hear the muffled voice on the other end of the line. He gives her a quick shake of his head then he turns to Mick and nods once. Micks turns away from them and then he’s gone somewhere behind Annie. She hears the unmistakable sound of the front door to the bar creak open then close. 

“No, not tonight. Now.”

A few more moments pass, Rio hums into the phone once and then hangs up.

“Well?” Annie all but screams at him.

He pockets his phone, reaches behind his back, and pulls a gun out. She inhales sharply, still not accustomed to casual glimpses of guns she’s privy to every other day. 

“You stay here,” he says calmly.

“W-What - no, do you know where she is?” she’s yelling again.

The look he gives her would have made her swallow her tongue any other day, but all she can think about is Beth. Beth wouldn’t have given up if  _ she _ was missing. Beth wouldn’t - doesn’t take his shit. 

He slides the magazine out of the gun, glances at the bullets, and slides the mag back into place with a  _ click _ . 

“If we ain’t back in an hour you can go see your friend and the cops,” he says, then he steps around her and then he’s gone too.

Annie yells after him, she’s not sure how much of it he hears but she yells. She considers hopping over the bar and pulling out a bottle but she can’t feel her legs. She shoots Ruby a text before she crumples into the nearest booth and waits.

*** 

> _Rio_

When he pulls up to the warehouse Mick’s already there. 

“We’ve got Cisco and some boys around the corner,” Mick nods and follows him inside.

He leads, too familiar with the layout of the place. There’s a small office in the back and a table right out front with a few metal chairs. They’d been here just a few nights ago, he’d humored the same man who’s standing in front of him now - Manuel, then he’d turned his offer down and walked out with Mick. 

Manuel’s young, stupid, and standing in front of him and Mick with a smirk on his face like he’d won a prize. Rio swallows the urge to beat it off of him. Behind him stands Elizabeth, relatively unharmed but he doesn’t look too hard. When Rio’s close enough, he can see someones holding her arm. He sees her pull her arm out of their grasp, sees her wrestling in place with whoever is holding her. She looks pissed.

“Rio,” Manuel drawls. He’s got a slight twang to his accent. Rio knows he’s from Texas, far from home and alone.

“Manuel,” Rio nods, slips both hands behind his back, and relaxes his shoulders. He can feel the outline of his gun with the back of his palm, hard and comforting. 

“So, about my offer. Do we have a deal?” He’s smiling now, ear to ear.  All Rio can think about is how he’s gonna rip him to pieces. Tooth by tooth until there’s nothing left. 

Rio nods lazily, steps close enough that it makes one of Manuel’s boys jerk and reach for his piece.

“Easy now,” Manuel says over his shoulder. “He’s just here to shake my hand, and make sure his senora is alright.” Then he turns back to Beth and gives her a wink. “You’re alright, sweetheart, ain’t you?”

Beth scoffs, disgusted. Manuel nods at the man holding her and when he lets her go he gives her a slight shove. She pulls her arm away from the man, steps around Rio without a word, and walks to Mick.  Manuel whistles as he watches her walk away. Lets his eyes run over her body freely in a way that’s meant as nothing but disrespect to Rio. Rio groans internally, how the fuck did he get here?

“She’s a firecracker,” he says and extends his hand out to Rio. 

Rio keeps an eye on her until she’s past him and out of his peripheral vision then he shakes Manuel’s hand. Mick will walk her out, he knows. Give him and Manuel a few minutes to talk business before he can slip out after them.

He’ll deal with Manuel later. 

When Rio walks back out she’s already in his car. Mick’s standing outside, face a little pale. He shakes his head at Rio.

“She ain’t happy, boss,” he says quietly. He waits until Rio’s inside the car to walk back to his.

She’s quiet, staring straight ahead and breathing hard. He doesn’t make a move to turn the car on yet. 

“You alright?” 

“Drive,” she snaps, refusing to look at him. 

She’s angry, he can see it in her eyes. He’d seen it plenty of times before, usually, it’s paired with her screaming at him. The silence makes him twitch. 

He pulls off the docks and onto the road, checks in his rearview mirror to make sure Mick’s following, to make sure there are no other tails. Mick pulls off onto the highway, Rio continues straight. He’ll do a few laps around midtown then double back to the bar. 

They drive around for a while in silence, long enough that the sky turns a dusky pink. She’s still calm, but he knows there's rage simmering below the cool surface. When he looks over he sees her rubbing her wrists. They’re red, she must have been tied up.

“Did he hurt you?” 

She scoffs.

“Kidnapped with a bag over my head, tied up. Trust me, its nothing new,” she responds and looks him in the eyes. Yeah, she’s pissed.

He palms the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turn white. 

“You got no idea how much that cost me back there,” he replies sharply. 

She laughs dryly. “I hope you don’t expect a thank you.”

He feels anger bubbling in his chest, he opens his mouth to snap back at her but he shuts it before he can speak. No one knows how to rile him up quite like Elizabeth.

_ Fuck it. _

“You keep thinking you can hide behind your little businesses and never get touched? Just print and wash, huh?” he growls, looks over at her. Her cheeks are flushed,  _ good _ . “You choose this life, Elizabeth, own it.”

Now he’s pissed. 

“This is  _ your _ fault, “ she yells and he swerves, pulls the car over into an empty parking lot. She’s still yelling by the time he parks. “This had  _ nothing _ to do with me. He had no idea who I was or that I printed. I thought he would force me to tell him how we - “ she pauses, shakes her head in disbelief. “He didn’t mention money once, he just kept talking about  _ you _ .”

She’s breathing hard. Rio’s jaw clenches, he looks away from her for a beat. Her eyes are so bright and angry, its too much for a moment. 

“He kept calling me your senora,” she gives him a curt laugh, it fades out into silence. Just the sound of their breathing fills the car. 

_ Fuck _ . 

“Why does he think that?” She shakes her head, and her hair bounces.

“Aint a lot of women in the business, Elizabeth, let alone one’s that looks like you,” he answers. He means white housewives from the ‘burbs, but even they don’t look like her.

She shakes her head again, folds her arms, and leans back into the seat.

“Take me home,” she says. 

He pulls around and heads in the opposite direction of the bar. 

***

> _Beth_.

It takes about a week for the marks on her wrists to heal. On Friday she puts the kids to bed, Annie comes over for a drink but doesn’t stay too long. When she leaves Beth keeps drinking, keeps walking around the house avoiding Dean. She cleans, bakes, restlessly paces around until she annoys herself. Then she changes and calls a cab.

She feels good - too good, warm, and limber. She’s boozed-up enough already that she can feel the flush in her cheeks. The bar is crowded, as always, but especially during fall weekends. Kids from the university fill the booths and tables. She clutches her purse and pushes forward until she reaches the bar. 

She slides onto the stool right next to him without a word. Anyone who didn’t know them would think they’re strangers. The bartender gives her a wink. 

“Why you here, Elizabeth?” He says after a moment, swirls his drink and takes a sip. He doesn’t look at her. The way he’s leaning on the bar has got his body shifted towards the bartender and away from her. She realizes she doesn’t like being ignored. 

When they finally make eye contact in the mirror above the bar, his eyes are dark, jaw clenched. 

“Maybe I wanted a drink, maybe I wanted to say thank you,” she says and shrugs. 

He laughs, drops his head, and breaks eye contact. 

“I doubt that,” he says, then he looks over to her wrists. She knows what he’s looking for. They’re almost fully healed, still a little pink but they don’t ache any longer. 

The bartender slides her drink across the bar and gives her a smile, she returns it. He’s young, cute and she’s still pleasantly buzzed enough from her earlier drink to humor him.

Rio turns his body straight, looks over and down at her crossed legs. She’s wearing a dress, something old she found stuffed in the back of her closet. It’s from a few years back and a little tight but she’s doesn’t care. The bartenders still there, smiling and talking, she realizes. She’s not hearing a word because every molecule of her body is focused on Rio and when he looks up from her legs the look he gives the bartender has him scurrying off. 

She shifts her thighs, scoots her butt forwards in the stool, and lets out a soft breath. This is a bad idea but its too late. She shoots the rest of her bourbon and grasps her purse. Before she scoots off the stool completely she shifts her body towards his, lets her knees nudge his thighs, and then she jumps down. If that wasn’t enough, she pushes her breasts into his shoulder for the briefest moment as she scoots by him, and then she’s walking to the back.

Her legs shake a little but she wraps a hand around the doorknob of the bathroom and pushes it open. He’s there before she can get the door fully opened, hot against her back. When she steps inside she watches him in the mirror as he closes the door and turns back to face her.  _ Deja vu.  _

He steps closer, wraps a hand around her elbow, and nudges her to turn. When she does, he slides his fingers around her writs, holds both of them in his palms, and inspects for himself. She takes a sharp breath and she must have gasped audibly because then his attentions back on her face. He’s so close she could just lean in but she doesn’t. She tilts her head back, juts her chin out a bit, pouts. 

He takes another step into her, pulls her up by her thighs, and lifts her to the edge of the sink. He takes his hands off of her body, grabs the sink on either side of her, and looks up at her. He looks tired, ragged. Now that she’s close she can see the skin around his eyes is a little darker than the rest of his face. Her hand itches to touch his face, his lips. He tilts his head, still looking up at her, and then he leans in and kisses her neck. Just one kiss, right below her jaw, then he pushes his face deeper and nuzzles into her. It’s so soft that it pulls the air out of her lungs, suddenly the buzzing in her limbs is gone. 

She slides a palm around the back of his neck, slips her fingers through his short-cropped hair and he hums into her skin. He gives her a kiss, then another, then she feels the scrape of beard against her jaw as he lifts out of her neck. He smells strongly like alcohol and something inside of her aches at that. How is it that they’re only ever here when they’re both three sheets to the wind. 

When he stands straight, he slides both palms up her thighs and underneath her dress. She wriggles closer, tries to pull her knees apart but the dress is too tight. He doesn’t make a move to help, just watches her struggle on the counter. She huffs, grabs his shoulder, and slides off the counter. The jump drives her into his chest and he grabs her hips to steady her.

She paws at his belt, unbuckles it open then grabs at his jeans. 

“Elizabeth,” he groans, covers her hands with his own. “What are you doing?”

She’s got a hand down the front, already inside of his briefs, and when she wraps her fingers around him he bucks a little. His head lulls forwards.

“I’m saying thank you,” she says, almost against his mouth. Then she strokes him, slowly. His breathing picks up, and she feels him lose more of that tight-knit control with every stroke of her hand. His eyes are screwed shut, brows slightly furrowed, mouth open. She rises on her toes and captures his bottom lip between her teeth. He’s hard and the angle is uncomfortable but she presses herself against him anyways. She lets his lip go with a soft pop. When his eyes open it all happens so fast. He pulls her arm out, spins her, and then she’s bent over the sink. 

He pulls her dress up, doesn’t bother with her panties, and sinks inside. She bends to his will, hands grasping at the mirror, and pushes back against him. It’s been so long since they’d done this that’d she’d almost forgotten how good he felt. He pulls her back up and she sobs at the pressure in her belly. 

  
“Say it,” he grunts into her ear. It takes her a moment to hear, to understand what he wants. He repeats himself again, annunciates each word with a thrust of his hips.

_ Asshole _ . 

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“Again.”

“Thank you,” she sobs, lets her head fall back on his shoulder. He slips a hand into her panties, touches her so lightly with the tips of his fingers and she comes so hard from the angle that her body pushes him out. He gives her a moment, slides his cock between her cheeks then he slips back inside with ease. 

When she gains feeling in her limbs again she looks up in the mirror and feels herself clench around him at the sight. He’s got both arms wrapped around her middle, face buried in her neck. She watches, marvels at the way her body absorbs everything he gives her.

“How much?” She asks. He grunts into her ear, pulls his face out of her neck, and catches her eyes in the mirror. “How much did I cost you?” 

That’s all it takes because he grunts, tightens his arm, and comes inside of her. He keeps his eyes on her as he fucks her through his orgasm, slowing down with every thrust. When he slips out, he loosens his grip on her. Before he tucks himself back in he pulls her dress down for her.

She turns around, watches him put himself back together.

“How much?” 

“It doesn’t matter,” he says with a shrug, buckles his belt then looks up at her. “He wasn’t around long enough to enjoy it.” 

He keeps his eyes on her, waits for her to flinch at what he’s just disclosed. Waits for her to react with disgust but it never comes. She lifts her chin up and shakes her head.

“Why?” 

He chuckles.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Elizabeth,” he’s smirking, eyes on her lips. “No one’s gonna force my hand in my city,” he says with a shake of his head. 

Except she had, more than once. 

They look at each other for a beat then he’s speaking.

“Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Give me a minute,” she nods, then shifts from one foot to another. She needs to clean up and probably throw her panties away.

He smirks, looks down to her legs like he knows exactly what she’s thinking and walks out. 

**Author's Note:**

> The gall I have to post a one-shot when I have so many WIPs I need to update, I know.


End file.
